Colors Under the Mask
by serbesaaa
Summary: "Monsters are real. Ghosts are real. They live inside us; and sometimes, they win." -Stephen King [First FF, easy on the newb, and enjoy this little piece. Thanks.]
1. Beginnings

It was cold.

She remembers standing beside a very, very high bridge, her red hair whipping against the soft Georgian wind as snow fell. It was beautiful. She wound her trench coat tighter, a wisp of a smile on her split lips, blood trickling down slowly. Dull cobalt blue eyes followed the dark waters bellow, fascinated by it all. She also remembers pulling her skinny body up the ridge, her arms shaking from exhaustion. She still feels the exhilarating burst of freedom, as she threw out her bruised and scarred arms out, the small smile now a full-blown grin.

She remembers Mollie giving her a slight nudge, a worried look on her pasty face.

"Don't worry, Mollie. We'll be together now."

And then, she jumped.

She vaguely remembers the raspy, smooth voice tinged with a heavy Southern accent scream her name.

She didn't care, though. She was _free._

She was flying, her blood-red hair being whipped back harshly by the wind as she hurtled down, her cobalt blues closing as tears escaped them. She was almost too happy as she neared the dark blue waters, embracing it as she hit them. It was beautifully painful. It was like sticking a thousand needles into her skin, and she was by no means a masochist. She was simply used to it. She didn't have her life flashing before her eyes, like what Bruce told her.

She smiled, despite it all. _I'M FINALLY FREE, _she thought.

* * *

**A/N: just a prologue tell me if you want it to continue, or something. My pride will be wounded, whichever way I look. I'm new here, so.. just, whatever. Read and review, and then everybody (mostly me) is** **happy. I also wouldn't mind you telling me where I'm wrong, or something. Okay, rest easy, peeps. **

-_thatguy_


	2. Never Sorry

**A/N: I KNOW I AM SHITTY AT THIS. Call it an OCD or somethin', but I can't move on until I make shit right. So, READ THIS, 'cause I need a name, and the name I came up with was shitty, but Artemis is the goddess of hunting and stuff, so.. why the hell not? But if you guys don't like it, just drop a PM or a comment about what name you'd give our red-headed heroin. and with that said, tiddly-winks and flip-for, enjoy! **

* * *

"She's coming to," a raspy, ragged voice said lightly, and a damp rag patted lightly on the pale woman's forehead. "Where did you find her, Daryl?" Someone asked, and was answered by a rough grunt. "Jus' by Yellow Jacket." "What..?" The redheaded woman slurred, her mind hazy from sleep. "Are you OK?" The old man brushed off the hair from her face, and the blue-eyed girl hissed, slapping the limb away. "Why didn't you just let me be? Why did you have to push your nose up my business?!" The pale, injured girl growled, tugging at her cuffed hand.

"What do you mean? Daryl, he save—"

She laughed, a bitter, cold laugh, her body shaking from possible hypothermia. "I wanted.. I wanted what I did! I wanted to!" She screamed, her red hair wild. "AND YOU FUCKING SAVED ME!"

"Now, calm.. calm down.." a new face appeared, his hands put up in a surrendering pose.

"Why couldn't you just be grateful?" A pretty brunette asked from beside the old, bearded man, her lips drawn into a distasteful sneer. "I WANTED TO DIE!"

She was shaking so hard, her lips blue from the cold as she sobbed, coming undone before these strangers. "I wanted.. WANTED.." she murmured over and over, her uncuffed hand reaching out to rake through her wild hair. "T-to.. finally esc-escape this fucked up world.." she whimpered as a hand brushed her hair away, her cobalt blues leveling with icy blues. "I'm sorry," it was the same anchoring voice from earlier, and she stilled for awhile, tears dripping down on the thin sheets covering her shivering body. "I.. I coul—couldn't anymore.. I..I.." her voice caught up her throat as the man brushed away her tears with a calloused thumb, his piercing blue eyes boring holes into hers. "Ya shouldn't think tha'.." he grumbled, his eyes now down cast as she finally looked up, her bruised arms lifting up to pat his back.

"You stupid hick." She whispered, closing her eyes as she saw Mollie standing beside the old doctor, a grim look on her face.

She blocked her out, laying back down. "Leave her be." He said lowly, his eyes sharp and his body tense. When he had seen her that fateful day, he'd just wanted to shrug it off and turn away, the mask of being a socially awkward hunter returning. But he glanced at her, and he saw her standing there, shaking hard against the wind as she peered into the dark waters, oblivious of him standing merely a few feet away from her. She sighed heavily, hauling herself up the ridge, her battered arms visibly shaking under the strain. Once she settled herself, standing almost proudly, her small smile a sobbing grin.

He wanted to call out to her. He really did.

He felt for her, but never did he think of ending his own life even while in the most deepest abyss he had fallen into. 'Maybe she's just stupid' he muses, turning back around to leave, but his mind races as he heard her murmuring, her voice filled with something other than misery and despair. He had heard joy, strained under something else. And so he looked back, completely turning around as he saw a glimpse of that dull, blood-red hair until it was no more.

And he, for the life of him did not know why he dropped his crossbow and followed.

It was cold, terribly cold as he hit the water in a perfect swan dive, his eyes stinging sharply as he opened them under water, dirt and other things floating everywhere. His icy blue eyes searched for that goddamned girl, his cheeks puffed up in an effort to conserve his air. If he went up now, the girl would fall deeper into the waters, and he couldn't reach her there. His arms cramped as he saw her, slowly drifting away, that happy smile on her chapped lips, her trench coat fluttering comically. He could see the soft glint of her weapon, as he struggled to move under the freezing water, his body going slack with every second that he spent inside that cold death trap. His left hand darted to take ahold of her pale, clammy one, growling as he felt his grip slacken under the strain of the current. He almost smiled when he got a proper grip on her, pulling her close to his body as she fought to make it to the shore, gasping heavily once his head reappeared above the murky water.

Crawling up to shore, he all but threw the girl off his exhausted form, instead putting her back down beside him as gently as he can, before propping himself up on his shaking hands, biting his lip as he felt himself freeze up, glaring at the girl beside him. He was relieved she was still breathing, though. '_Good_' he thought, grunting heavily as he stood up, scooping the unconscious girl like a sack of potatoes. "'Cause I'll be damn pissed if ya weren't."

He didn't forget to pick up his crossbow on the way back, dripping wet.

The redhead woke up a day later, her body still exhausted and battered. Daryl was there, his body leaning against the door where they took her. The small bed she was confined in was utterly blissful. "You're up!" A small blonde said as she entered, pushing Daryl aside as she came in with a tray of food balanced perfectly in one hand, looking every bit like the perfect waitress. Daryl looked at her roughly, before shooting the blonde a glare, shouldering his crossbow as he turned around and left.

"Where am I?" The redhead sat up, her body protesting with every move she made. "Somewhere," the blonde said, the smile never fading.

"So.. what's your name?" The petite blonde inquired, nonchalantly putting the tray beside the nightstand on her left. "...Artemis," the redhead said, blushing faintly. "Well, Art, I'm Beth." Beth smiled wider as the redhead reacted to her pet name."Okay.." Beth set out to remove her cuffs, her nimble hands taking off the cuffs efficiently. "Its just beans, so.. bon appetit!" The red-head nodded, suddenly very hungry. She waited until the blonde left until she scarfed down the food, her eyes closing in bliss as her growling stomach was filled.

"Finally eating now, huh?"

Booker stopped all of a sudden, her hands shaking once more as she turned her head, the plate in her hand falling. "Mollie.." she whispered her sister's name, her blue-eyed gaze falling onto the figure across the foot of her bed, her hands flying up to cover her mouth. "Why didn't you pull through your promise..?" Mollie stepped out of the darkness, revealing her torn, rotten body as she gazed deep into her little sister's eyes, a grin spreading through her face as the other cowered in fear. "Typical Artie, always scared of something that isn't even there," Mollie glided over the redhead's bed, leaning out and caressing Artemis' cheek with a mangled hand, whispering sweet nothings until the younger woman finally calmed down, her body slack against her older sister's ethereal one. Mollie's manic grin widened, her once lifeless blue-green eyes filled with so much hate and disgust as she backhanded Artemis, sending the girl over the corner of the bed. "YOU LYING BITCH!" she bellowed, her hands clenching into fists as she neared the woman, leaving trails of blood on the dirty white sheets of the small bed. The redhead curled in on herself, shaking violently as she shut her eyes tight, feeling the cold, cold breath of her older sister on her arms.  
"I-I'm sorry.." she whimpered as Mollie's grin faded, her bloodshot eyes narrowing.

"You'll never be sorry." she whispered, closing her eyes and dropping a soft kiss on her little sister's forehead. Artemis lifted her head, her heart falling as she saw no evidence that her sister was there. The trails of blood were gone, but she still felt the sharp sting of her sister's hand on her cheek. She immediately stood up, jogging over to the door and frantically turning the doorknob. "Shit." she cursed as the door didn't move, giving it a harsh kick before moving to the center of the room, shrugging off the soft sounds of scraping as she rummaged the drawers for her weapons to keep her mind off of Mollie. She was fine until the scraping grew louder and louder, as if it was calling her to take a look on the small hole drilled unto the barricaded windows, and she did.

**_THUMP_**

She pushed away in breakneck speed, tripping over her feet and sending herself down on her butt, her breathing heavy as the rotted corpse banged its hand on the window, now aware of her presence. She peered in it again as soon as she regained her bearings, her heart stopping as she saw a horde make their way towards the small house she was in, their teeth gnashing in the prospect of flesh and meat.

**THUMP**

The walker pushed itself on the window once more, and this time, Artemis wasted no time in running towards the door and banging her small fists on it relentlessly. "LET ME OUT!" she screamed, her heart thumping on her chest painfully. She threw herself against the door, impatient that no one was heeding her call. Finally giving up after hours of endless pleads and knocking, she slumped down beside the door and held her tears in, her lips drawn into a tight frown.

**_THUMP!_**

The thumping increased in volume, and she stood up once more, moving back to hit the door once more, well, of course before it opened. When the door opened, it revealed a panting Daryl Dixon, his poncho smeared with blood and his crossbow up in the ready. He threw her her twin Colt Diamondbacks, leveling her with a harsh glare. "What'chu waitin' fer? an invitation?" he grumbled, as the woman pushed past him, snapping, "Waiting on you now," she rummaged every surface for her holster, grumbling and cursing for every second that she didn't find it.

"Ya lookin' fer this?" The older man grumbled, looking at her boredly. She snatched it away from Daryl, slipping on the holster on her slim waist and sliding the guns inside it with practiced grace. She leveled the others with an expecting look, raising a dark eyebrow. "LETS GO! _GO_!" a tall, slender man with slightly crazed eyes commanded with authority, making the group move like clockwork. Needless to say, Artemis was impressed. Sliding in beside Daryl, she moved along him fluidly, his moves matching hers.

They all stopped when the door burst down.

* * *

**A/N: Mistakes are mine. *and a certain person who helped me make up the damn plot but never helped me after that, and still wanted credit.* Though I or we am giving them for free. And ENGLISH IS IS NOT MAH NATIVE LANGUAGE. Thanks to those who reviewed, it made my hand left hand tingle, and cleared up the cluster fuck that was my mind. Leave a review if ya liked it, alright? I do fanfiction for one thing only, chaps. TO GET ALL THEM LADIES. Peace out.**

-_thatguy_


End file.
